128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!
That word blessed is a loaded word. It can mean so many different things. To one person it means physical blessings, money, creature comforts, health. To others it means spiritual blessings like peace, joy, and love.
What does it mean to David here in this Psalm? It looks to me like it means relationship blessings. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine, your children like olive shoots. In other words your family will bear fruit, in this case fruit of righteousness.
So how do we get this blessing of good relationships? We get it by fearing the Lord and walking in his ways. What does this look like? What are the Lord's ways? Well.... what does Jesus say? He says, "A new command I give to you, LOVE ONE ANOTHER." And "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." And "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And one more, "Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins it is forgiven them."
Do you want to be blessed with good relationships with your family and friends? It is very simple! Fear the Lord and walk in His ways of loving, making disciples, and forgiving.
There is no bigger blessing than bringing someone to Christ. There is no bigger blessing than giving and receiving forgiveness. There is bigger blessing than loving the people that God has called you to love. Even if the people you love don't love you back, and even if the person you forgive doesn't want your forgiveness, and even if it is difficult to bring people to Christ, which it most definitely is, there is no better blessing than these things! Praise the Lord today for the ability to give and receive love and forgiveness!
Let us pray: Lord, help me to be a blessing so that you may bless me. Amen.
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CALENDAR:
Mon- Confirmation 5-6:15; Family Night Resumes 6:15
Tues- Quilting 9-2; Bible Study Resumes 11:30-12:15; Trustees Meeting 7pm
Wed- Choir 7pm
Thurs- Board of Outreach and Evangelism meeting 5pm
Fri- No school; Bible study at Hendershots 7pm
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; worship 5pm; Soup, Sandwiches and Game night 6-9pm
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Kalene Masters; 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- George, Gary, and Ben Hoelscher, and Brent Davis
Altar- Set up- Marilyn Foster, and Sue Ruhl; Clean up- Terry McKenzie
Elders- Sat- Dave Winter; 8:30- Steve McDowell; 11- Randy Fischer
Greeters- 8:30- Terry and Lynn Russell; 11- Randy and Kathy Fischer
Lay readers- Sat- Marcia Sevier; 8:30- Steve McDowell 11 - Steve Robine
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: ???????
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YESTERDAY'S BIBLE QUIZ: What happened to Lot's wife when she turned back to see Sodom and Gomorrah after God specifically told them not to? She turned to salt
Please join us for supper and some fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ!! It's always a fun time and we always learn something about ourselves and our Lord. Just bring a dish to share!
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